Owls Know Run Is Key To Winning

Florida Atlantic's offensive linemen decided to take matters into their own hands as they prepared to face Arkansas State.

After being shut out 6-0 by Louisiana-Lafayette, the linemen went to the coaches with a message: Run the ball.

It was an audacious move, considering the Owls ran for just 86 yards against the Ragin' Cajuns, dropping the Owls' season average to 103.4 yards a game and 2.9 yards per rush.

"We felt they didn't believe in us as much as they should," lineman Antes Perkins said.

But coach Howard Schnellenberger and his staff turned out to be in a listening mood, thanks to the defense, which had become dominant.

"When a defense has shown it can slow teams down a lot, maybe even to the point of them not scoring, you realize that you don't have to score a lot to win," Schnellenberger said.

So Schnellenberger agreed that the Owls would commit to the run against Arkansas State.

The offensive line went out and made its point on the opening drive, a 21-play marathon that began with 11 straight rushes and ate up 10:06 of the first quarter.

The Owls ended with 178 yards rushing on 46 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per run in the 29-0 win that allowed them to improve to 3-5 and 2-1 in the Sun Belt. Perkins said the line felt vindicated.

"You never want to ask a coach to do something, and they give you the chance and then [you] don't do it. Now the coaches believe in us," he said.

"That is huge for our program to be able to run at the stage where we are at. It is taking some of the pressure off our quarterbacks, and we can throw when we want instead of as a necessity," offensive coordinator Gary Nord said.

"A quarterback can't be a good one without a running game," quarterback Sean Clayton said. "We are going to win with the running game."

FAU will get a chance to prove that Saturday at Middle Tennessee (5-3, 4-0), which hs held its four conference opponents to 98.2 yards rushing a game.

"The offensive line, [running] backs, quarterback, they all said let's go challenge them, take the fight to them, and move the ball on the ground and score enough to win," Schnellenberger said. "That blend came together in this last game and, obviously, we will continue in that direction."